Bristol BRT2 route - Ashton Avenue Bridge

I take it you work for the Council or one of the other people involved in the project then Ransos?

I'm a bit disappointed that Sustrans aren't kicking up more of a fuss. John Grimshaw their founder has been one of its most outspoken critics, and I think him and Sustrans now have something of an awkward relationship, so perhaps that's why they're keeping schtum.

Apologies for the bumpity-bump... but there's a council meeting at 6 pm, thurs 4th October (Council House, College Green) - the agenda includes discussion (& presumably ratification) of the BRT funding allocation.

If anybody feels strongly about it, the StopBRT group & various others are planning to meet up at 5.30 pm to make a statement & demonstrate their opposition.

Email received below, thought I'd paste here for those interested. I plan to be there tomorrow...

"If you can please come for half an hour tomorrow to show your opposition to more spending on BRT2. We will be gathering
for a photo-opportunity outside the Council House at 5.30pm -prior to the Cabinet meeting at 6pm. We are aware of four statements
including three of ours (business case, Harbour and conservation and cycling and walking) and Bristol Cycling Campaign's opposing more BRT2 funding which will be read out at the start of the meeting.

Did a lunchtime of pounding the streets and trying to get local shops and other businesses to put up posters lately, and it was fairly astonishing how few have been informed of the proposals, or have any idea what they could mean for the Harbourside area. The Council are flying this one under the radar for sure.

Of all the businesses, only the Princes Pantry had any enthusiasm for Prince Street being turned into a transport depot, presumably visualising hordes of fatties waddling off their buses to gorge themselves on a Myocardial Infarction.

I rode this bridge for the first time yesterday .I live on the Mendips and rode to town via Long Ashton and Aston Court .I rarely ride into town but found this a pleasant quiet route in .There were 2 guys from Sustrans canvassing support on the North side of the river yesterday lunchtime

(NB the following is just what I've gleaned from people I know, and not necessarily 100% correct or the official views of Sustrans - just my understanding of the situation)

I'm not sure if this has been covered in the thread or not, but I believe the view of sustrans towards it is that there's a resignation that something will happen, and that BRT represents the best of a bad bunch. If the money isn't spent, the money will be lost (not saying this is a good or bd thing). Sustrans don't 'support' it as such, but are involved to make sure that cyclists/walkers interests are best represented in whatever happens - the BRT route disrupts a lot of work which sustrans has put in place already.

(please remember, this is re-hashed, and not neccessarily correct - don't want anyone to get into hot water - so do not quote me!)

The new bit of path currently being built from the girder bridge to the self-store warehouse is nothing to do with BRT (as someone not on this thread suggested) but part of the Connect2 scheme - improving access to the network for all.

There were 2 guys from Sustrans canvassing support on the North side of the river yesterday lunchtime

I passed the bridge for a quick zip up to AC and LW earlier, expecting to do that nice little bank that runs down from the footbridge above and found its all fenced off with some sort of haul road looking affair cutting through from the storage warehouse down to the bridge. This isn't something to do with BRT is it?

Sustrans don't 'support' it as such, but are involved to make sure that cyclists/walkers interests are best represented in whatever happens - the BRT route disrupts a lot of work which sustrans has put in place already.

John Grimshaw made this point too - the people behind it are probably going to end up pushing it through regardless (possibly before the mayoral election) so the best we may be able to hope for is to make sure walking and cycling facilities are included.

the best we may be able to hope for is to make sure walking and cycling facilities are included

The people behind it have already demonstrated that they are willing to ignore the needs of cyclists/pedestrians... but I agree, it's an opportunity to try & get more leverage.

As for pushing the scheme thru, IME there's steadily mounting anger among Ashton Rd/Southville/Cumberland locals that this thing is being foisted on Butterfly Junction, Chocolate Path etc. Nobody down 'ere will see any benefit from it - I mean, it's not as if I'm going to hop on a guided bus to go to the Nova!

The new bit of path currently being built from the girder bridge to the self-store warehouse is nothing to do with BRT

A good addition & I'm glad to see it being built - partly because I hope a busy cycle/pedestrian intersection gives the BRT planners a headache.

BCC seem to be firing a certain amount of chaff - dropping bendy-buses doesn't mean the end of BRT. And citing funds alreadyspent wasted is hardly a reason for pressing on... except in the thru'- the-looking-glass world of local politics, of course.

Feelings are running pretty high judging by some of the comments on that petition site.

Mayoral hustings last night was interesting. The Lib Dem and Labour candidates are the only two left supporting BRT2 (the Conservative candidate, Geoff Gollop, has backed away from it) on the grounds that if we reject it, the funding will be snatched back by the DfT. Some of the other candidates thought it would be possible to renegotiate the funding and apply it to light rail schemes like the Bristol Metro.

All the candidates were saying all the right things, albeit in slightly different ways, and it seems the only thing separating them is BRT2.

The bendy bus thing seems more like expediency than policy - apparently they can't obtain the vehicles they originally wanted so they're defaulting to the second choice. The promise of "Dutch-style" cycle infrastructure is a carrot to the cycle campaigners opposing the scheme, and nothing of the sort has shown up on any plans to date, apart from some wishy-washy artist's impressions.

BRT2 may actually shaft the Metro proposals if it goes ahead. £100 million isn't a lot for a scheme of this kind (they've spent nearly £10 million just developing the current half-baked scheme we have now), and any budget overspend will have to be met from the local coffers. Which could well mean no money for Metro.

And the reasons given for changing the plan, from the original futuristic mass transit solution to a bog-standard bus route with a couple of new bits, are getting more and more ridiculous, if this Tweet from a BBC reporter is to be believed.